David John Molloy was born in St. John's in 1954 and attended Bonaventure College in his youth. Later, he studied at several secondary schools in Nova Scotia before enrolling at Dalhousie University. In 1976 he received a BSc (Honours in Psychology) and went on to study architecture at the Technical University of Nova Scotia, receiving his Bachelor of Architecture in 1980. He also studied in Copenhagen and travelled extensively throughout Europe. After practicing architecture with several firms in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, he joined the Department of Municipal Affairs in St. John's.